AMD has finally launched Ryzen, their next generation of high-end desktop processors which would bring a revolution in the PC industry. AMD Ryzen processors deliver a monumental increase in IPC along with a very competitive pricing structure.

The launch of Ryzen begins a fresh new start for AMD by bringing a highly competitive x86 architecture to the market. The launch took place at a “Tech Day” event which was generally aimed at editors but it was decided to release the details to the public due to a great amount of hype surrounding Ryzen. Starting today, AMD Ryzen processors will go on pre-order through several retailers and officially hit the market on 2nd March, 2017.

The initial launch lineup would include the three high-end processors which include the Ryzen 7 1800X, Ryzen 7 1700X and Ryzen 7 1700. The astonishing thing is that while Intel’s 8 core solution costs $999 US (more in the case of Core i7-6900K), AMD’s Ryzen 7 1700 will cost just $329 US and have the same or even higher performance when it comes to IPC.

AMD chips will also perform at the rated clock speeds at a 95 Watt TDP while Intel’s chips consume 140W. The new XFR (Extended Frequency Range) feature will allow Ryzen chips to overclock as far as the cooling system can take them. Following are the three chips that are available on pre-order starting today:

AMD Ryzen Architecture – 52% IPC Increase, 4.8 Billion Transistors

AMD had initially promised a 40% IPC increase with Zen architecture but they managed to break the limit and went past that. The final product we know today as Ryzen delivers a 52% IPC increase. This brings the IPC of Ryzen chips better than Intel’s Broadwell and somewhat on par with Skylake chips. This is amazing and one of the major CPU architecture and performance gains that we have seen in the last 6 years. Not even Intel has managed to amaze in the CPU department as AMD have today which is definitely a thumbs up as it brings higher performance to the masses at a much affordable cost.

Furthermore, the Ryzen silicon packs 4.8 billion transistors which includes two million engineering hours and four years of hard workmanship. In comparison, Intel’s Broadwell-E chips pack a total of 3.4 billion transistors. The Ryzen architecture is built around a multi-year CPU roadmap and will be aimed at several market segments such as mobility products, HPC products and workstations.

The AMD Ryzen 7 range will feature the fastest “X” variant in the lineup. This processor will be known as the AMD 7 1800X and will feature 8 cores and 16 threads. This model is expected to operate at base clocks of 3.6 GHz and boost clocks of 4.0 GHz. The performance of this processor should be on par with Intel’s Core i7 6900K. Other details include an L2 + L3 cache of 20 MB (4 MB + 16 MB) and a TDP of 95W. The chip will have enthusiast level pricing at $499 which compared to Intel’s 6900K ($1000 US+) is a great deal.

The rest of the processors in the Ryzen 7 family are also 8 core and 16 threaded variants. The Ryzen 7 series has clock speeds ranging from 3.0 GHz up to 3.6 GHz. The processors include Ryzen 7 PRO 1800, Ryzen 7 1700X, Ryzen 7 1700 and Ryzen 7 PRO 1700. Benchmarks of the 1700X performing next to Intel’s HEDT lineup can be seen here.

When it comes to performance, AMD Ryzen chips are absolutely beast. Starting with the Ryzen 7 1800X, the chip outperforms the Core i7-6900K in both single and multi-threaded performance tests. The Ryzen 7 1700X outperforms the Core i7-6800K and 6900K in multi-threaded performance. Even the 6800K is $40 US more than the Ryzen 7 1700X which will retail at $399 US. Following are more detailed performance figures released by AMD today:

Next in the lineup is the AMD Ryzen 6 series which will be a mix of 6 core and 4 core models with SMT. The Ryzen 5 series will include the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X which is the fastest 6 core model. This model will have clocks configured at up to 3.3 GHz base and 3.7 GHz boost. The 1600X processor will feature a TDP of 95W.

Last in the lineup would be the Ryzen 3 series which are simple quad core models without SMT support. The Ryzen 3 series are the only models that don’t feature SMT support and will be the entry level models which will be designed to compete against the Intel Core i3 and Pentium series processors. The fastest model in the lineup will be the AMD Ryzen 3 1200X which will feature 4 cores, 4 threads and a base clock of 3.4 GHz which may boost to 3.8 GHz.

The rest of the lineup includes the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 1200, AMD Ryzen 3 1100 and the Ryzen 3 PRO 1100. The frequencies of the Ryzen 3 series lineup will range between 3.1 GHz and 3.4 GHz (boost clocks). TDPs for these chips will be set at 65W. AMD Ryzen processors and the AM4 platform would be available in the retail market on 2nd March, 2017.

AMD Ryzen 3 Series Processor Lineup:

AMD Ryzen CPU Model

Cores/Threads

Base Clock

Boost Clock

L3 Cache

TDP

Socket

Price

Ryzen 3 1200X

4/4

3.4 GHz

3.8 GHz

8 MB

65W

AM4

$149 US

Ryzen 3 Pro 1200

4/4

TBD

TBD

8 MB

65W

AM4

~$139 US

Ryzen 3 1100

4/4

3.2 GHz

3.5 GHz

8 MB

65W

AM4

$129 US

Ryzen 3 Pro 1100

4/4

TBD

TBD

8 MB

65W

AM4

~$119 US

New AMD Thermal Solutions

For Ryzen, AMD offers new thermal solutions based on the original Wraith coolers, launched to wide acclaim in 2016. The next evolution of Wraith includes Wraith Spire and Wraith Stealth, offering reliable, near-silent performance enthusiasts expect from the Wraith brand. Featured with Ryzen 7 1700 sold in retail boxes as well as many OEM systems, Wraith Spire offers superb cooling at an incredibly quiet 32 decibels.

Entire Range of AM4 Motherboards For AMD Ryzen Processors Pictured

The AMD AM4 platform will be based on the Promontory chipset which has five SKUs. These consist of X370 (enthusiast), B350 (mainstream), A320 (essential), X300 (enthusiast SFF) and A300 (essential SFF). AMD has planned a total of 42 new AM4 motherboards which will be available at launch through their board partners. The boards are detailed in our post here.

AMD AM4/TR4 Chipset Features and Specifications:

Wccftech

X399 Refresh

X399

Z490

X470

X370

B450

B350

A320

X300

A300

CrossfireX/SLI

Quad SLI/CFX
(Max 6 GPU Support)

Quad SLI/CFX
(Max 6 GPU Support)

Triple CFX/2-Way SLI

Triple CFX/2-Way SLI

Triple CFX/2-Way SLI

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

PCIe Gen3 Lanes

60 (With Threadripper CPU)
4 Lanes Reserved for PCH

60 (With Threadripper CPU)
4 Lanes Reserved for PCH

16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)

16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)

16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
8 (with Bristol Ridge)

16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)

16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
8 (with Bristol Ridge)

16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
8 (with Bristol Ridge)

16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
8 (with Bristol Ridge)

16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
8 (with Bristol Ridge)

PCIe Gen2 Lanes

8 PCIe Lanes (reserved)

8 PCIe Lanes (reserved)

8 Plus Gen 3*4

8 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)

8 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)

6 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)

6 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)

4 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)

4 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)

4 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)

USB 3.1 Gen2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

0

0

USB 3.1 Gen1

13 (PCH+CPU)

13 (PCH+CPU)

10

10

10

6

6

6

4

4

USB 2.0

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

0

0

SATA 6Gb/s

8

8

6

6

6

4

4

4

2

2

SATA Express

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

DDR4 DIMMs

8

8

4

4

4

4

4

2

2

2

Overclocking
Support

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

XFR2 Enhanced

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

Precision Boost Overdrive

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

NVMe

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Form Factor

ATX, MATX

ATX, MATX

ATX

ATX, MITX

ATX

ATX, M-ATX

ATX, M-ATX

M-ATX, Mini-ITX

Mini-ITX

M-ATX, Mini-ITX

AMD X370 / X300 For Enthusiast and SFF AM4 Motherboards

First up, we have the X370, a high-end chipset for overclockers and tweakers who need robust platforms. This chipset provides the ultimate low-level control to its users and delivers ultimate graphics card bandwidth. By bandwidth, AMD is referring to max PCI Express lanes as this is the only chip in the stack that supports multi-GPU functionality. The chipset supports both, CFX (CrossFire) and SLI. Features of X300 series chipsets include:

Dual-channel DDR4 memory

NVMe

M.2 SATA devices

USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2

PCIe 3.0 capability

AMD has mentioned two full x16 (Gen3) lanes for GPUs. AIBs can add additional lanes through a PLX chip but that would add to the cost. X370 features full overclocking support with a very sophisticated GUI that will allow the best overclock tools and experiences. Since all AM4 CPUs have an unlocked multiplier, record breakers will definitely put X370 boards to the test on liquid and LN2 setups. There’s also X300 which is the chip aimed at Mini-ITX boards featuring enthusiast grade designs. Boards based on this SKU will be available around mid-2017.

AMD B350 For Mainstream AM4 Motherboards

AMD B350 is the mainstream chipset and offers the most value in terms of I/O and functionality. This chip offers less lanes compared to X370 since AMD believes that most users don’t go multi-GPU in this segment. Aside from that, the chipset does retain overclocking support for all AM4 CPUs that will be offered in the future. This chipset replaces the 970 and A78 platforms. he AMD B350 chipset features 70% power reduction over its AM3+ predecessor (5.8W vs 19.6W). The latest DDR4 memory controller also offers 22% more bandwidth compared to DDR3.

Some general features of the AM4 platform is that it offers new I/O capabilities. We are looking at faster DDR4-2400 MHz memory, PCIe Gen 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen 2, NVMe and SATA Express support. These features have been missing on AMD platforms for a while but it’s nice that AMD is finally making a proper comeback with modern feature support.

AMD A320 / A300 For Essential and SFF AM4 Motherboards

Next up, we have the low-end chipsets for the Promontory stack. The A320 is the essential platform for plug and play users who just want their PC to work with decent capabilities. This chipset replaces the 760G and A68H based platforms. Most of the features from B350 will be retained but there will be no overclocking support on such motherboards. This chip has 4 PCIe Gen 2 lanes and 1+2+6 (USB 3.1 Gen2, USB 3.1 Gen1, USB 2.0) support.

The A300 is the chip designed for Small Form Factor (SFF) computers and generally, HTPC builds. This offers the ultimate power and space efficiency in the entire product stack. This is a new chip that has been exclusively built for the SFF niche. A300 has limited functionality but will be extremely cheap and allow for great SFF setups.